Planer or Drum Sander

[MRDucks2]

I may have asked this before but not in the last few years. As the new shop gets closer to complete (February?) I am contemplating the next equipment purchase.

Yes, I do some pens. I will be expanding into more bowls and some cutting/bread/charcuterie/brisket boards. For those of you who own/have owned/used both which should be the next purchase?

Planer - 13-20" with or able to accept spiral head.
Sander - likely an overarm 16/32 or similar.

I lean toward the planer but bid on (and missed the cutoff by 2 seconds) a Delta 16/32 sander this weekend.

 

[bugradx2]

hmm, that can be a tough one because they can do very similar things in many ways but slightly different ends of the process so to speak. I do a few cutting boards and charcuterie boards a year and wonder this same question.

I think for me the answer would be the planer because you can use it to square or level stock up very quickly. You'll have to work much much harder trying to get broad flat surfaces with the sander because it's designed to smooth an already flat surface. I have a flattening jig I use with my router to get slabs and other things flat on one side and then many times run the 2nd side through the planer for it's speed alone.

It is very nice to just run a cutting board through the panel sander (I have a buddy 10 minutes away with one) but the benefit may not always be there unless you're planning to do mass quantities of boards to make changing over the grit the sander worth your time. I do run my boards back through my planer post glue up if they need a quick touch up. (take off the excess glue 45 minutes after glue up)

 

[Dieseldoc]

By having both for years I would say the Drum sander get the most work, I could do with the planer but not my drum sander.
If you are thinking about segmenting then drum sander is a must.

 

[Dalecamino]

Not much help from me Mike, but it seems to me that a planer would be much faster, and as I recall they get an absolutely smooth finish. Just my opinion.

 

[bugradx2]

By having both for years I would say the Drum sander get the most work, I could do with the planer but not my drum sander.
If you are thinking about segmenting then drum sander is a must.

that's a great point.

It may also depend on how thin you're trying to go to. I have no factual data but my "understanding" has been that the planer won't go as thin or be as "gentle" as the sander will be

 

[d_bondi]

Disclaimer: No personal experience, but based on the many YouTube videos here is my comment.

My understanding is that the surface planer will be less effective on end grain, so if that is what you are doing, I hear that the drum sanders are superior for this.

 

[NJturner]

I have a Dewalt 3 bladed 13" planer with standard cutters and a Supermax 16/32 drum sander - the planer was my first of the two, as I was doing lots of sizing up of board lumber to build furniture and stuff. It is still my go to when I am taking down rough stock or potentially setting up glue edges for stacked lumber like you would use in a cutting board build. The sander is the go-to when doing some final face clean up and finishing after glue-ups more than for anything else. As @d_bondi said, the planer is rough on end grain, so the sander is it for end grain cutting boards, which is about half of the kind I make. Which would I buy if having to do it over again? Since they both get used equally in my shop, I'd go with the projects I was looking at and figure out the order, but I wouldn't choose one over the other. If I could however, I would buy the planer with the Shellix head vs standard blades. Way easier to get clean cuts on tough stock.

 

[jttheclockman]

Not much help from me Mike, but it seems to me that a planer would be much faster, and as I recall they get an absolutely smooth finish. Just my opinion.

You can never match the finish of a planer with a drum sander. Not even close. They are not the same tool They do different things. planer is just that planes wood down. Drum sander is just that sand woods down. never use a drum sander to do planer work unless you are talking very small amounts. As far as spiral VS straight blades. twice the price. And to me not worth it. I say this because every board runs through my drum sander for final finish. The Dewalt 735X best planer on the market for a table top. But they are heavy but well built. I have the Performax 16/32 drum sander. Good luck.

 

[wood-of-1kind]

JT is bang on. The two are NOT interchangeable . Two different tools to do two different jobs. Personally I have planer and
make do without the sander for the work that I choose to do.

 

[MRDucks2]

Thanks for all the feedback, Gang. I do appreciate it. Has anyone tried planing using a surfacing bit on a CNC machine? What was the quality like?

 

[bugradx2]

I use one in my router when running my planing jig for stuff that's too big for the planer or really off sized. I like it, still have to sand a little when I'm done but not much

 

[leehljp]

For pen blanks, small items, and sanded dimensional lumber from a big box,store, the sander is it by a mile. But if you do a lot of flat work (regular wood work) and have lots of rough cut lumber, the planer is it.
A planer will bring rough cuts and regular dimensional sized boards to special needed flatwork size quickly and smooth enough for most normal woodwork that would overload a drum sander.

It is a matter of which you will do the most. IF I had to start over, I would get the drum sander first, and pure necessity would drive me to get the planner because I do enough flat work and have lots of rough sawn boards stored up. But if I were starting off with a planner, I might delay the purchase of a drum sander because of its price. I do have a habit of collecting tools.